Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1969–1980 of 2290 dinner recipes

A plate of chuleta con tajadas — a golden fried pork chop under white crema with fried plantain slices, curtido and chimol

Honduras 1h

Dinner •Honduran Street-Food Classic

Chuleta con Tajadas

This chuleta con tajadas recipe is the Honduran plate everyone orders: bone-in pork chops marinated in garlic, sour orange and Worcestershire sauce, fried golden, then piled onto crisp fried plantain slices with pickled cabbage curtido and fresh tomato chimol. One serving is about 488 g. It is loud, generous food — build it in layers and eat it while the chops are still crackling.

Hearty & Satisfying

A golden fried pork chop on a bed of fried plantains, with curtido, chimol and a drizzle of crema.

Pairs Well With
Serve with white rice and red beans, and an ice-cold lager or a glass of horchata.

High Protein

A plate of bife a la criolla — braised steak with potato rounds, onion rings, green peppers and tomato in a light broth

Uruguay 55m

Lunch •Uruguayan Home-Cooking Classic

Uruguayan Bife a la Criolla

This uruguayan bife a la criolla recipe is the one-pot lunch of the Rio de la Plata: sirloin steaks are seared, then tucked into a pot with sliced onion, peppers, tomato and potato rounds and braised gently in beef stock until the vegetables are soft and the broth is rich. One serving is about 488 g. It is the kind of cooking that asks for one pot, one lid and a little patience — and feeds four people from it.

Comforting & Hearty

A one-pot Uruguayan home dish: steak braised with onion, peppers, tomato and potato until everything is tender.

Pairs Well With
Serve with crusty bread to mop up the broth, and a simple tomato and onion salad on the side.

High Protein

A bowl of paila marina: clams, mussels and shrimp in a golden seafood broth, scattered with fresh herbs.

Chile 1h

Lunch •Chilean Coastal Classic

Paila Marina

Paila marina is Chile's coastal classic: clams, mussels, cod, shrimp and squid simmered in a light fish-stock and white-wine broth, coloured with sweet paprika and finished with cilantro. It arrives at the table steaming in its clay paila, with lemon wedges on the side. One serving is about 682 g, seafood and broth together.

Comfort & Warmth

Mixed seafood simmered in a light white-wine broth — warm, briny and satisfying without feeling heavy.

Pairs Well With
Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread to mop up the broth.

Soups & Broths

A platter of pernil venezolano: shredded slow-roast pork leg with glossy golden crackling.

Venezuela 5h 40m

Dinner •Venezuelan Christmas Classic

Pernil Venezolano

Pernil venezolano is Venezuela's Christmas roast: a whole bone-in pork leg marinated overnight in garlic, orange and lime, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and a touch of panela, then slow-roasted until the meat falls apart and the skin crackles. It is carved at the table and shared. One serving is about 260 g of roast pork with pan sauce.

Festive & Filling

Slow-roasted pork leg with a garlicky citrus marinade — the centrepiece of the Venezuelan Christmas table.

Pairs Well With
Serve with white rice, hallacas and a crisp salad to cut through the richness.

High Protein

A bowl of yahuarlocro: thick golden potato soup with dark pieces of blood sausage and offal, a spoon resting in the bowl.

Ecuador 1h 55m

Lunch •Quito Andean Classic

Yahuarlocro

Yahuarlocro — 'blood soup' in Kichwa — is Quito's boldest potato soup: lamb liver and tripe simmered with potatoes in a golden annatto broth, with slices of blood sausage, and finished with milk, crumbled cheese, avocado and pickled red onion. It is rich, savoury and deeply satisfying. One serving is about 575 g, soup and toppings together.

Comfort & Warmth

A hearty Andean potato soup with lamb offal and blood sausage, finished with avocado and pickled onion.

Pairs Well With
Serve with pickled red onion, diced avocado and a spoonful of hot sauce on the side.

Soups & Broths

A bowl of aji de fideo — spaghetti and beef in a spicy orange sauce with potato, broad beans and green onions, with a small bowl of llajua sauce beside it

Bolivia 1h 15m

Dinner •Cochabamba Classic

Aji de Fideo

This aji de fideo recipe simmers beef stew meat, potatoes and broken spaghetti in a spicy aji amarillo and tomato sauce, with carrots and green peas, until the noodles drink up the broth and turn silky. One serving is about 530 g.

Hearty & Warming

Beef, potatoes and broken spaghetti simmered in a spicy aji amarillo sauce — a one-pot Bolivian supper that warms you from the inside out.

Pairs Well With
Llajua hot sauce, crusty bread and a simple green salad

Pasta & Noodles

A seared corvina fillet with crisp golden skin on a white plate with pak choi, peas and a purple flower garnish

Uruguay 25m

Dinner •Uruguayan Coastal Classic

Corvina a la Plancha

This corvina a la plancha recipe sears skin-on croaker fillets on a smoking-hot griddle with olive oil, garlic and lemon, until the skin is crisp and the flesh flakes at 63°C (145°F). One serving is about 125 g.

Light & Lean

A firm white croaker fillet, seared on a hot plancha with garlic, lemon and parsley — lean protein with a crisp golden skin.

Pairs Well With
Chimichurri, roast potatoes and a tomato salad

High Protein

A close-up of golden fried ripe plantain slices, caramelised at the edges

Cuba 25m

Snack & Tea •Cuban Classic

Maduros

This maduros recipe fries very ripe, black-skinned plantains in hot oil until the edges caramelise and the centres turn soft and sweet. One serving is about 150 g (5–6 slices).

Sweet & Golden

Very ripe plantains, sliced on the diagonal and fried until golden and caramelised — soft and custardy inside, sweet all the way through.

Pairs Well With
Black beans and rice, roast pork and garlic mojo

A Dominican chimi burger with a grilled beef patty, shredded cabbage, tomato and pink sauce in a soft roll, served on foil

Dominican Republic 40m

Lunch •Dominican Heritage

Chimi Dominicano

This chimi dominicano recipe builds the Dominican street burger the way the chimi trucks do it: a well-seasoned grilled beef patty, griddled onion and tomato, and a pile of shredded cabbage, all tucked into a soft pan de agua roll and drenched in pink sauce. It is a messy, juicy, eat-it-over-the-foil kind of lunch. One serving is about 390 g, one loaded burger.

Street-Food Favourite

A grilled beef patty on soft pan de agua with shredded cabbage, tomato, onion and a creamy pink sauce.

Pairs Well With
Cold Presidente-style lager, fried plantains and a lime wedge.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Haitian poulet en sauce: browned chicken pieces simmered in a rich orange-red tomato and epis sauce with onion wedges in a pot

Haiti 1h 30m

Dinner •Haitian Heritage

Poulet en Sauce

This poulet en sauce recipe is the Haitian Sunday chicken: bone-in pieces marinated in epis, the green herb seasoning that is the backbone of Haitian cooking, browned hard, then braised slowly in a tomato sauce with onions, peppers, thyme and a whole Scotch bonnet. The sauce turns rich and glossy, and the chicken goes tender enough to pull apart with a fork. One serving is about 470 g, chicken and sauce.

Slow-Braised Comfort

Bone-in chicken browned, then braised in a tomato and epis sauce until it falls off the bone.

Pairs Well With
White rice, sauce pois (bean sauce) and fried plantains.

High Protein

Golden rolled fried tacos topped with shredded lettuce, crumbled cheese and cream, with red and green salsas on the side

Honduras 1h

Lunch •Honduran Heritage

Tacos Hondurenos

This tacos hondurenos recipe makes the Honduran street taco: corn tortillas rolled tight around a savoury filling of ground beef and mashed potato, fried until golden and crackling, then topped with shredded cabbage, warm tomato sauce, crumbled queso fresco and a spoonful of sour cream. They are nothing like a flat Mexican taco — they are crisp rolls you pick up and eat by hand. One serving is about 435 g, three tacos with toppings.

Crisp & Hearty

Corn tortillas rolled around a beef and potato filling, fried crisp and topped with cabbage and tomato sauce.

Pairs Well With
Chimol (onion and tomato salsa), pickled onions and a cold horchata.

A sweet corn tamale unwrapped from its corn husk on a woven tray, with fresh corn cobs and husks beside it

El Salvador 2h

Snack & Tea •Salvadoran Heritage

Tamales de Elote

This tamales de elote recipe makes the Salvadoran sweet corn tamale: tender fresh corn ground to a coarse, milky batter with butter, sugar and a little masa, spooned into softened corn husks and steamed until soft, sweet and spoon-tender. They are nothing like a savoury tamale — there is no meat, no chilli, just the taste of fresh corn. One serving is about 200 g, two tamales.

Sweet Festival Treat

Fresh sweet corn ground with butter and sugar, wrapped in husks and steamed until soft and tender.

Pairs Well With
Hot coffee, atol de elote and crumbled queso fresco.

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack & Tea

Dinner Ideas by Region

Mediterranean & Italy East & South Asia Latin America & Caribbean Middle Eastern Nordic & European African Heritage North America Oceania & Pacific

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

All news →

A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Dinner Ideas by Category

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Dinner Ideas by Region

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

What to Eat With What

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

Carotenoid Unlocking

Never wonder what’s for dinner again